4A Tournament Preview: Knockout Round Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4A state tournament tips off this Friday with three of the four elimination games in this opening regional round of play. We'll have one more knockout game Saturday night before we get to see who moves on to the round of 12. Let's get to know the teams competing in the win-or-go-home games this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">16 Sunnyside vs 9 Auburn @ Auburn HS, Saturday 6:00 PM <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/wiaa-wa/gamce92b8ae22">NFHS Link</a></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sunnyside (15-8), RPI #23</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players</em>: [player_tooltip player_id='2384270' first='Aiden' last='Sanchez'], <strong>Timothy Lemos</strong>, <strong>Julian Vilanueva </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Common Opponents:</em> N/A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Auburn (21-3), RPI #7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players</em>: [player_tooltip player_id='2021598' first='Daniel' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2391500' first='Isaiah' last='Englund'], [player_tooltip player_id='2021601' first='Miles' last='Henry']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Common Opponents:</em> N/A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Preview</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This Trojan team has a lot of size and athleticism, and that could be a challenge for Sunnyside as the shortest team in the 4A tournament, with no player taller than 6-foot-1. The Grizzlies rely on strong perimeter shooting, as well as the playmaking of [player_tooltip player_id='2384270' first='Aiden' last='Sanchez'], to get the ball in the paint and work for some closer looks. It's going to be a tough matchup for them, considering Auburn has Englund (6-8), [player_tooltip player_id='2392280' first='Leroy' last='Kinnay'] (6-6), [player_tooltip player_id='2547463' first='Matthew' last='Fredrickson'] (6-5), and Henry (6-4), not to mention one of the best guards in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='2021598' first='Daniel' last='Johnson']. But the Grizzlies have been playing some of their best ball of the season lately, and a couple of weeks ago, they were right there with the 8th-seeded West Valley Rams until the last couple of minutes. On the flip side, Auburn is coming off its worst loss of the season and will surely be looking to make a statement at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">15 Olympia vs 10 Redmond @ Issaquah HS, Friday 6:00 PM <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/redmond-high-school-redmond-wa/gam411bffe6d1">NFHS Link</a></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Olympia (16-7), RPI #19</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players</em>: [player_tooltip player_id='2021638' first='Brody' last='Cronk'], [player_tooltip player_id='2140813' first='Elijah' last='Buol'], [player_tooltip player_id='2140805' first='Brian' last='Stevenson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2021637' first='Kingston' last='Stanciu']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Common Opponents: </em>Kentwood (L, 66-53)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Redmond (17-8), RPI #10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><em>Key Players</em>: </em> [player_tooltip player_id='2835549' first='Matthew' last='Grabarski'], [player_tooltip player_id='2398849' first='Drew' last='Prinos Grumbach'], [player_tooltip player_id='3192033' first='Cooper' last='Kunz']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Common Opponents: </em>Kentwood (W, 72-54)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Preview</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This could be one of the more interesting matchups across this opening round of games. Olympia and Redmond have very similar roster construction and match up pretty evenly across the board. They've each got some guys who can go to work around the paint starting from different spots. [player_tooltip player_id='2140805' first='Brian' last='Stevenson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3192033' first='Cooper' last='Kunz'] are two bigger guys who work the glass but have the ability to catch further out and work their way inside. [player_tooltip player_id='2835549' first='Matthew' last='Grabarski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140813' first='Elijah' last='Buol'] are two athletic wings who will also be looking to slash inside. This game could come down to who shoots it best behind the arc. Olympia has three capable shooters in Stanciu, Cronk, and Buol, but Redmond might have the best shooter in this game with [player_tooltip player_id='2398849' first='Drew' last='Prinos Grumbach'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">14 Sumner vs 11 Chiawana @ Richland HS, Friday 8:00 PM <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/wiaa-wa/gamf78c8e28e8">NFHS Link</a></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sumner (17-9), RPI #20</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players</em>: [player_tooltip player_id='2751666' first='Jerius' last='Isabell'], [player_tooltip player_id='2021613' first='Goose' last='Frederick'], [player_tooltip player_id='2827892' first='Owen' last='Liedtke']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Common Opponents:</em> N/A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chiawana (21-4), RPI #9</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players</em>: [player_tooltip player_id='1863245' first='Gage' last='Williams'], [player_tooltip player_id='2827887' first='Benji' last='Larios'], [player_tooltip player_id='2548212' first='Messiah' last='Guy']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Common Opponents:</em> N/A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Preview</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sumner is led by two hard-working seniors, [player_tooltip player_id='2021613' first='Goose' last='Frederick'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2827892' first='Owen' last='Liedtke']. Both bring some grit on both ends of the floor, and Frederick has shown some nice playmaking from his high-post catches, along with an ability to make plays at the rim. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2751666' first='Jerius' last='Isabell'] was a First-Team All-League selection who's provided steady play at the point, and junior <strong>Parker Fiorito </strong>is a guy you can't leave open behind the arc. Meanwhile, Chiawana comes in with an incredibly balanced unit. They have six players averaging over seven points a game, led by their big guys [player_tooltip player_id='1863245' first='Gage' last='Williams'] (12.2) and [player_tooltip player_id='2827887' first='Benji' last='Larios'] (12.1). Their trio of starting guards are all able to attack gaps and change speeds, while sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2548212' first='Messiah' last='Guy'] is their leader behind the arc with 49 3PM at a 38.9% clip.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">13 Woodinville vs 12 Camas @ Camas HS, Friday 8:00 PM <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/camas-high-school-camas-wa/gam9319010e50">NFHS Link</a></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Woodinville (18-7), RPI #13</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players</em>: [player_tooltip player_id='1685501' first='Luke' last='Unruh'], [player_tooltip player_id='2140811' first='Drake' last='Penberthy'], [player_tooltip player_id='2966804' first='Elijah' last='Price']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Common Opponents:</em> Union (W, 65-62)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Camas (17-6), RPI #12</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players</em>: [player_tooltip player_id='1863196' first='Ethan' last='Harris'], [player_tooltip player_id='2935304' first='Cason' last='Thompson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2894471' first='Mason' last='Hamilton']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Common Opponents:</em> Union (W, 72-63; W, 54-51; W, 59-48)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Preview</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game could be one of the better ones to watch this weekend. Camas has one of the top players in the state in senior [player_tooltip player_id='1863196' first='Ethan' last='Harris'], whose size, shooting, and underrated playmaking can dominate a game. They also have some underrated guards who have stepped up in a big way this winter. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2935304' first='Cason' last='Thompson'] has been a steady floor general who can hit the outside shot and help them get a little creative in the half-court. Then there's junior <strong>Max Rehrer</strong>, who can catch fire from behind the arc and create some shots off the dribble. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodinville has some great depth and balance, and they have the guys to score inside and out. [player_tooltip player_id='3258633' first='Drake' last='Spooner'], Unruh, and Penberthy can all space the floor, and pretty much all of their perimeter players do a great job attacking closeouts and working with some pace off the catch. <strong>Luke Flinn</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='3334503' first='Rowan' last='Kelly'] have been tough around the paint, and Kelly is another guy who can step out and space the floor for them. I can see this one going either way, and whoever comes out of it will a tough matchup in the next round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://poll.fm/16680597","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"crowdsignal","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-crowdsignal wp-block-embed-crowdsignal"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://poll.fm/16680597 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->